How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card in North Dakota in 2023

Like many other states throughout the U.S., North Dakota residents can apply for their medical marijuana cards online. Unfortunately, Leafwell is not yet live in North Dakota, but we hope to be soon! Join our waitlist to be notified as soon as we’re up and running in the state.

In the meantime, we’ve put together this valuable guide that will answer all your questions and help individuals living in North Dakota understand the importance and benefits of applying for their North Dakota MMJ card.

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Benefits of Having a Medical Card in North Dakota

Participants in the North Dakota medical marijuana program are permitted to possess the following:

Up to three ounces per month each of cannabis flower and dried leaves. Patients can only purchase 2.5 ounces at a time. A physician may increase the possession limit to six ounces for cancer patients.
Up to 4,000 milligrams of THC per month of cannabis concentrates, including edibles, tinctures, oils, pills/capsules, and other forms of concentrated cannabis.

Minor patients (under 19) cannot use dried leaves, flowers, or products with more than 6% THC.

Patients must have a special certification from their physician to consume herbal cannabis formulations via combustion. Otherwise, patients can only obtain cannabis-infused tinctures, capsules, patches, or topical.

Eligibility Requirements

To apply for a medical marijuana card in North Dakota, you must be a legal resident of North Dakota. Patients must be 19 to apply for a medical marijuana card for themselves.

Once you have your card, you must register with the North Dakota Medical Marijuana Patient Registry, operated by the North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH).

Can Minors Get a Medical Card in North Dakota?

Patients under 19 must designate a parent or legal guardian as their caregiver as part of their application. North Dakota law limits what types of products minor patients can use.

Qualifying Conditions

According to North Dakota law in 2020, the following debilitating conditions may qualify you for a medical marijuana card in North Dakota:

AIDS/HIV
Alzheimer’s disease
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), AKA Lou Gehrig’s Disease
Anxiety
Autism spectrum disorder
Brain injury
Bulimia nervosa
Cancer
Chronic pain
Cirrhosis (Caused By hepatitis C)
Crohn’s disease
Dementia
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS)
Epilepsy
Failure to thrive/cachexia/wasting syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Glaucoma
Interstitial cystitis
Nausea
Neuropathy
Migraines
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
Seizures
Severe and persistent muscle spasms
Spinal stenosis
Tourette syndrome

How to Apply

Documents You’ll Need

To apply for your MMJ Card in North Dakota, you must show your signed certificate, which provides proof of your condition and identification documents. You should gather together the following:

Photo ID, such as a driver’s license or state-issued ID card, that shows your ND address
A 2×2 passport-style photo
Medical records
A signed doctor’s certificate (which can be obtained via Leafwell)

Steps to Apply

Leafwell is coming to North Dakota soon! Join our waitlist to be notified when we’re up and running in ND.

Once Leafwell is live in ND, you can log into Leafwell and book an appointment with a registered MMJ doctor. The cost of the online consultation is $199, and you are only billed if approved.
Attend your appointment and discuss why you want an MMJ certificate with your healthcare provider. The doctor will ask you questions based on your medical history and provide you with advice and guidance on whether medical marijuana is a good choice for you. If approved, your certificate is automatically inputted into the North Dakota Department of Health and medical marijuana registry.
Complete the application on the state website. You must upload your ID and passport-style photo and fill out the application. There is a $50 application fee.
If approved, you will receive your medical marijuana card in the mail within seven days from the North Dakota Medical Marijuana Program (please note that Leafwell does not send you a card). Your certificate will be valid for one year from the date of issue.

What to Expect During Your Leafwell Appointment

While we are not yet live in North Dakota, once we open, here is what you can expect from the process:

You’ll need to provide some preliminary details to start. If you have medical records, you can also upload them, although they are not legally required in North Dakota. These are all passed securely to one of our registered practitioners, who can familiarize themselves with your application before your consultation.

The consultation is simple and secure, taking place on our telemedicine platform. You will meet with a North Dakota registered practitioner who has experience issuing certificates for medical marijuana to patients with various medical issues. The registered practitioner will speak with you about why you are applying and ask questions about your medical condition and history.

At the end of the consultation, the registered practitioner can make an informed decision about whether they recommend using medical cannabis based on the medical information they have obtained. If a renewal application is successful, the registered practitioner will complete the certification and submit it to the North Dakota government on your behalf.

An application must be successful to be charged for the consultation. Once obtained, the certification will last for one year.

Costs

The initial consultation with one of the North Dakota registered practitioners via Leafwell’s HIPAA-compliant online consultation service is a flat fee of $199. However, you will not be charged if you do not qualify for a medical cannabis card and our practitioner elects not to sign the physician’s recommendation.

It costs $25 for the MMJ card and application form, payable to the state. This is a non-refundable fee that patients must pay with every application. Each card is valid for one year. Every time you renew, you must meet with a state-licensed physician via a telemedicine platform like Leafwell and update your card via the state website.

There is no additional fee for applications that include a designated caregiver.

Insurance does not currently cover the cost of applying for an MMJ card in North Dakota because cannabis is illegal at the federal level.

Medical Marijuana Reciprocity

North Dakota doesn’t recognize out-of-state patient MMJ cards.

However, several other states practice medical marijuana reciprocity and will recognize a North Dakota medical card. The following states accept or recognize out-of-state medical marijuana cards:

Arizona
Arkansas *
California ^
Colorado ^
Connecticut ^
Hawaii *
Illinois ^
Maine
Maryland ^ (as of July 2023)
Massachusetts
Michigan (qualifying state must also have reciprocity with Michigan)
Missouri ^
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey *
New Mexico * (recreational cannabis is legal in NM)
New York ^
Oklahoma *
Oregon ^
Pennsylvania (minors only)
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
U.S. Virgin Islands *
Utah (max. 45 days, after which the patient must apply for a Utah MMJ card)
Vermont ^
Virginia ^
Washington ^
Washington, D.C.

States marked with * require visitors to complete a visiting patient application for their stay.

States marked with ^ have adult use programs but do not accept out-of-state cards.

Applying as a Caregiver

Some patients may be eligible for an MMJ card but cannot apply themselves. For example, should the patient be a minor under 19, or if the patient needs assistance accessing medical cannabis, a caregiver can be assigned to complete the process on their behalf.

Applicants under 19 must have a caregiver attached to their application. However, there is very little information on who qualifies as a caregiver. Caregivers are required by state law to undergo a criminal history record check, which costs $41.25, payable by the applicant. The caregiver must provide the exact ID requirements as the patient in the patient’s application process.

Where to Buy Medical Marijuana

In all states with a regulated medical program, the only way to purchase marijuana products is via a legally-licensed dispensary, pharmacy, or another legally designated space to buy cannabis.

In North Dakota, medical marijuana patients may acquire cannabis at one of eight licensed dispensaries statewide. Any North Dakota dispensary may only sell the product forms permissible by state law.

When seeking medical marijuana treatment options, it’s a good idea to talk to dispensary staff and ask plenty of questions. These trained professionals can assist you in identifying the best medical-use cannabis products for specific health conditions and address any questions or concerns.

Cultivation

It is illegal for qualifying patients or anyone else to grow cannabis in North Dakota.

North Dakota Medical Marijuana Laws to Know

Patients must have a particular recommendation from their doctor to use smokable cannabis. Otherwise, it can only come in edible, capsule, tincture, patch, or topical/salve form.

North Dakota law allows eight dispensaries and two producers to operate at any time.

For those without a medical marijuana card, possessing one ounce or less is a misdemeanor and can result in up to 30 days’ incarceration and/or a maximum fine of $1,500.

Anything more is a felony, with an incarceration period of five to ten years and a maximum fine of $10,000 (for between one ounce and less than 500 grams) or $20,000 for possession of any amount over 500 grams. Possession of any amount near a school can result in up to ten years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine.

Sale of any amount carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of three years.

Hash or concentrate-related penalties are more strict on those without a written certification to use cannabis. Ingesting hash or concentrates is a misdemeanor, with up to one year in prison and/or a fine of $3,000. Possessing or manufacturing hashish or concentrates is a felony, with five years incarceration and/or a $10,000 fine for possession and ten years incarceration and/or a $20,000 fine for manufacture.

Possession, distribution, delivery, advertisement, or manufacture of paraphernalia is a misdemeanor, with up to one year of imprisonment and a $3,000 fine.

Any conviction requires the offender to undergo a drug addiction evaluation. Juveniles may have their driver’s licenses suspended for up to 6 months.

If you’re ready to apply for your North Dakota MMJ card, join our waitlist, and we’ll notify you as soon as we’re able to see ND patients online.

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